She Likes Them Big
by StEpPiNg StOnEs
Summary: ChoujixIno oneshot. It all started as a dare. Sakura told Ino to find someone she was happy completley happy with who liked her back. Ino looked everywhere but couldn't find her guy. Turns out he was right in front of her the whole time.


**a/n hey look! a oneshot!! hope ya enjoy! I personally think that this is one of the cutest couples ever...

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"Ino--where are you going?" Shikamaru ordered of the blonde. The girl's body tensed up and she slowly turned around, a guilty expression frozen on her face; she had been hoping to sneak away without being noticed by the Chuunin she was under the guidance of.

"I was going to go see Sakura," Ino replied, regaining her composure. She didn't care what Shikamaru said--she _was_ going to go. It was because of the Nara that, for the past two weeks, Ino had been unable to attend the 'gatherings' the two planned on having.

"We need to train for the---"

"Shikamaruuuu!" Ino whined, shoulders slumping. "It's because we have to train for this stupid event that I've missed the past two weeks! Don't you have any friends beside Chouji and me?!"

"Of course I do! And I know it's troublesome to be training but we have to do it."

Ino ignored the second part and instead countered the Chuunin by saying, "I want you to give me a list of all your friends. _Now_."

The Nara boy scowled. "I don't have to--"

"Shika_maru_," Ino warningly said.

The boy grumbled something and began listing people; Ino was sure that half of them he wasn't sure about being 'friends' with, but, wanting to get it over with, was saying anyway.

"And there's Naruto," Shikamaru said a bit hesitantly. "And--"

"Cho, don't forget about Cho," Chouji added; Ino noticed the combination of a scowl and a blush on Shikamaru's face and grinned wickedly. She mouthed a 'thank you' to Chouji before turning back to the Chuunin.

So Cho was his weakness, eh? Well, Ino could certainly play on that. After all, she **had** seen the two together...not recently, but still. And besides, she knew Cho and she knew Shikamaru. Oh, she _definitely_ knew Shikamaru.

"What with all this so called training, how do you find the time to hang out with these...erm...'friends' of yours, eh? And especially Cho...don't you miss Cho, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru's blush deepened. He lowered his head in an attempt to hide his flushed cheeks, but it didn't work.

"Aww! Shikamaru's embarrassed! Big macho Chuunin is--"

"Okay, okay! You can go!" Shikamaru snapped, looking sternly upward at his blonde teammate.

"_Yes_!" Ino exclaimed. She began to walk away but stopped suddenly, turning around to face Chouji. "Thanks for giving me that, Chouji!" she called out, smirking to herself. She then faced Shikamaru and added thoughtfully, "If I see her I'll say 'hi' for you..."

"_Sayonara_ Ino!"

_Score! Now I hope I'm not late..._

"Wait--where are you going with Sakura anyway?"

Of course it was Chouji who asked. First of all, Shikamaru wanted Ino gone. And secondly, only Chouji would care. After all, he hoped it was a food-related place so that maybe he could tag along, although he knew perfectly well what the answer to that would be.

"We're going to go get some food! No, you can't come!" Ino replied. And with that said, she dashed off.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

It wasn't so long ago that Ino wouldn't have even _thought_ about having a meal--or even a civilized conversation--with Sakura. But now, after the Chuunin exams, the two had returned to their old friendship.

So it was only natural for the two to catch up on old times, as well as feel comfortable doing things they did as kids.

After slurping down ramen at Ichiraku, the two slowly walked to the field where they always hung out as children. Ino frowned as some more recent memories flashed in her mind; looking over at Sakura she noticed that she, too, was thinking of them painfully.

Why had they let Sasuke get between them?

_Because he's gorgeous,_ Ino told herself almost dreamily. _But I guess it was good we stopped being friends. I mean, now we are again and that just proves that we're good friends, right?_

Ino had trouble convincing herself of that. It seemed to...sappy and, to be completely frank, untrue. But she **was** glad they were friends again. Even though she hadn't been aware of it, she had missed Sakura while they were bitter rivals.

_Like I'll ever admit THAT to her thought..._ Ino accidentally snorted out loud; Sakura raised an eyebrow curiously, but Ino shook her head, holding up her hands to prove innocence.

Sakura shrugged to herself and continued walking slowly through the field. Ino followed after her, feeling quite odd. She had always been the leader, never the follower.

"Hey Ino?"

"Hai?"

"Want to play a game?"

"...What type of game? It better not be training or anything like that! Shikamaru's been pushing me and Chouji for _days_. I really don't like having to listen to that kid!"

Sakura laughed lightly. "No, it isn't training."

Ino cocked an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"

The two friends sat down across from each other. Ino began pulling weeds from the ground and tossing them to the side; she'd take care of cleaning them up later.

"Truth or Dare," Sakura replied a bit hesitantly.

"Truth or Dare? Are you serious, Sakura? We're ninjas now, not little private school kids!"

"Come on Ino! It'll be fun!"

"Fine!" Ino gave in with a resigned scowl.

"Good. Now, since I thought it up, I get to go first."

"Hey--that's not fair!" Ino, just not wanting to go second, argued.

"Yes it is! It's _totally_ fair!"

"No it's not! Just because you thought of it doesn't mean you should get to go first!"

"Oh? Are you _chicken_?" Sakura slyly asked. "Are you afraid of what I'll make you say or do?"

Ino snorted. "_What _did you say?"

"You heard me. You're scared of what I'll make you say or do before you can make **me** do anything!"

"Like you could make me do anything!" Ino retorted

"Then why don't you let me go first? You know, to prove yourself."

"I don't need to prove that I'm better than you."

"Well if you're so much better than me, don't you think you should let a poor little weakling like me go first?"

_Oh, she's good. I guess having a huge bill-board brow is good. Leaves room for a huge brain..._

Even though Ino was thinking that, she wouldn't let Sakura see that she was paying a sort of compliment. So instead she scowled again and said, "Fine. Go ahead. But trust me--I _won't_ lose to you!"

Sakura smirked but made no reply. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare, duh!"

Sakura cackled evilly to herself. "For once, Ino--or maybe not for _once_--that fearless courage of yours is going to be your downfall."

"Oh yeah?" Ino retorted boredly as she inspected the petals of a small flower she pulled from the ground. "I honestly doubt it."

Sakura shook her head but said nothing more. "Okay Ino. I dare you..." Sakura paused for emphasis; the wicked grin on her face grew. "I dare you to find a guy you're completely happy around and _stay_ with him."

"Completely happy around? What do you mean...?"

"I want you to find someone you like who you can be completely yourself around and who makes you happy."

"Not a problem!! I just need to go find Sas--"

"But!" Sakura interrupted "There's a catch."

"Oh?" Ino, interested, remarked. "What would that be?"

"The person has to like you back. **AND** you only have _two weeks_ to complete this dare."

"And how will you know if I'm telling the truth or not?"

Sakura smirked. "I have my ways. Anyway! It's your turn!"

_I'll do it--**before** the time limit runs out_

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

"I have to find someone I like who likes me back, huh? In just two weeks?" Ino said to herself as she headed towards home; her visit with Sakura had actually been very fun. Truth or Dare wasn't a bad game at all. Besides that first Dare Ino received, the two got to laugh at everything.

"That shouldn't be too difficult..."

Yet Ino still had her doubts. Two weeks wasn't a very long time. And with the training and missions she'd be doing...that left even less time.

"I'll start tomorrow," she told herself, pushing the door to her family's flower shop open and stepping inside. "And I'll start with Sasuke."

With that Ino slipped into her apron and tied it at her back. Her mom gladly left the counter for Ino to take over. But not many people came to buy flowers during the night, so Ino was left bored.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

"Ino! Pay attention!" Shikamaru barked; Ino's attention snapped towards her teammate and she scowled.

She hadn't seen Sasuke that morning so she hadnt gotten a chance to work her charm on him. So, she decided, that while they were training she would scope the area for some cute boy--maybe she'd meet her match that way. Or at least someone she could fall back on if Sasuke happened to decline her.

"What are you doing anyway?" Chouji asked.

Ino looked over at him and smiled. "I'm er..._looking_ for someone," she replied unsurely.

"For who?" Shikamaru demanded.

Ino grinned slyly at the Chuunin. "Why Cho of course! I told her to come by our practice today! She said she'd be thrilled to see you, didn't she Chouji?"

Chouji gave Ino a confused look, but when Ino's eyes flashed he understood.

"Oh yeah!! That's right! It was while we were having Barbeque last night!"

Ino inwardly grimaced. "Yeah...that's right..."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Why do I doubt you guys had barbeque with each other last night?"

"We did!" Ino insisted, her eyes moving back towards the streets as she looked out for good-looking guys. "We also ran into Ch--"

"Hey guys!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Chouji and Ino; the two looked just as surprised as he.

"Did you make a clone and transform it?" Ino whispered to Chouji; he shook his head.

"You?"

"Of course not!"

"Then is she really--?"

"Ino? Chouji? You two okay?" Cho asked of the two; they numbly nodded their heads in reply, too shocked to say anything.

"We're in the middle of traini--" Shikamaru began to say to the blonde girl from another team.

Cho cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know! And I'm sure my visit is 'troublesome' to you, but I saw you guys come down and well...I haven't seen you in a while and thought I'd say 'hi'."

"So you didn't really run into Ino and Chouji yesterday at a barbeque?"

Cho cocked an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

"I knew those two wouldn't go to a barbeque together! How troublesome..."

Cho laughed. "Yeah, somehow I have trouble seeing that myself," she whispered in agreement after calming down.

Meanwhile Ino leaned into Chouji's ear after laughing to herself. "Hey, I'm gonna go off, okay? Cover for me?"

Chouji popped a chip in his mouth and nodded. "Of course."

So when Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to lecture his two teammates, he found only Chouji there.

"Wha--argh, where did Ino go Chouji?"

"The er...bathroom..." Chouji quickly lied. Cho, a master of deception herself, laughed at Chouji's excuse but tried to stifle it with her hand.

Shikamaru cast her a questioning look but she dismissed it with a wave of the hand.

"Ugh. What a drag. I hope she gets back soon..."

Cho rolled her eyes at Chouji who in turn grinned. Then she looked towards the sky and frowned. "I have to get going. See you two around!" With that the girl blew them each a kiss and walked off.

Chouji stifled a laugh when he saw Shikamaru's blush.

"What a troublesome visit...come on, let's keep practicing."

The two started at it again, and Ino slipped away from the tree she had been hiding behind, observing, and ran into town.

She was going to find someone she was happy with who liked her back--and she was going to do it before her deadline.

Ino smirked to herself. Yes, she'd go to Sasuke first just to make sure she wasnt wasting her time looking for other people.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

"Sasuke-kuuuun!" Ino exclaimed upon catching sight of the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy.

Sasuke turned slightly, saw Ino, and grimaced. The blonde, however, didn't notice and she jumped at her fellow Genin, hugging him around the neck.

"Konichiwa, Sasuke-kun!" she purred, snuggling the boy; Sasuke groaned and attempted prying the blonde from him; it was futile. Ino's grip was strong.

"I would like to talk to you. Please, Sasuke-kun?" Ino begged, looked over his shoulder to see his face. The Uchiha's eyebrow ticked as he kept his cool, eyes closed. His irritation was great, but he said nothing to the girl latching onto him.

"_Please_?" Ino, although she considered it beneath her, begged.

"Fine," Sasuke grumbled, finally breaking free of the girl. With hands thrust into his pockets, he turned and stared indifferently at her.

"Let's go hang out! I know! We could get some food! What do you like to eat?" Ino looped her arm through Sasuke's and began dragging him down the street. Sasuke, at first, tried to resist but soon found that there was no point.

"I'm actually not hungry," he grunted.

"Well we don't **have** to eat," Ino reasoned; she sounded a bit disappointed though. "We could just...hang out."

Sasuke didn't seem too keen on that idea, either. "No," he said coolly; his dark eyes flashed as he looked at Ino.

Ino blinked cluelessly before smiling again. She grabbed the boy by the wrist and dragged him after her, not stopping until they reached a field.

"Sit!" Ino ordered as she herself sat down on the lush grass.

"No," Sasuke said again, a bitter tone in his voice; Ino frowned. Either Sasuke didn't like her, or he was hiding the fact that he **did** like her up _very_ well.

"So what's been going on?" Ino asked.

Sasuke merely stared down at her, silent, cold. Ino frowned for a minute before, hopes revived, and asked another question.

"Does Sakura annoy you?"

"Not as much as you do," Sasuke replied.

_Ouch. That hurts._

"So you don't like me?"

Sasuke snorted.

"Then do you like..." Ino inwardly grimaced at the very idea of what she was saying, "_Sakura_?"

"No," Sasuke said yet again; Ino heard the hesitation in his voice though and felt her heart sink.

"Is that all you wanted? I have places to be."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's it," Ino glumly replied; so Sasuke didn't like her and even worse, he might have some sort of interest in Sakura.

Sure it seemed like he was telling the truth; Ino would have believed he was if it hadn't been for the slight hesitation in his voice as he said 'No.'

So Ino sat there in the field in glum silence for hours. She didn't dare stand up in case she should fall back down in shock.

Maybe if Sasuke had, in complete sincerity, said 'no' about liking Sakura would Ino had been even a **little** bit happy. But he hadn't.

Ino buried her face in her hands and bit her lip. She hadn't even for a moment considered that Sasuke might _hate_ her. But it was becoming evident to her that he did.

_I can't let it get me down though! There has to be **someone** out there who wouldn't mind being with me! And if there is, I'm sure I'll find him soon! _

But what if there **isn't**?

Ino shuddered at the thought. She remembered perfectly well what Sakura had said she'd have to do if she didn't fulfill the dare.

_"Oh yeah! I forgot to say what you'll have to do if you don't succeed, Ino!" It had been as the two were about to part ways that Sakura had said it.  
"Oh yeah? What will happen?" Ino asked; it couldn't be bad. Sakura wouldn't be able to think of something terrible, as Ino discovered while playing Truth or Dare with her.  
"You'll have to...um," Sakura paused, trying to think of something incredibly bad for Ino to do; a satisfied smirk came over the blonde's face. She'd probably just have to hug someone she didn't like or something.  
"You have to go off your diet for a whole two weeks!"  
"What?! I mean, that's all?" Ino, trying to keep her cool, said. Going off her diet...she'd gain sooo much weight! And there as no way Ino could cheat her way out of it; she was a girl of her word. If she agreed to do something, she'd **do** it.  
"Okay, it's a deal," Ino said, her voice shaking; Sakura smirked, taking Ino's hand and giving it a firm shake._

Ino grimaced once again before running off back to her house to think.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

A week passed and Ino found no positive results. All the people she thought were at all cute either she didn't like their personalities, they didn't like her, or worse yet--they didn't acknowledge her. At least the people who didn't like her took notice of her!

Ino sighed and buried her head in her hands; Chouji cast her an anxious look and set down his barbeque rib.

"What's wrong?" he grunted, licking his fingers off.

Ino sighed again. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just...thinking," she replied; she didn't feel like talking about the whole ordeal.

She was running out of time to find a guy for her. She was also loosing any confidence she had in herself. What with all the rejections, it was actually a wonder that she had **any** left.

Chouji furrowed his eyebrows at her and continued watching her as he ate more food.

Asuma looked across the table at the two curiously. It was obvious to everyone that Ino was a little upset, but no one thought anything of it. It wasn't like she was usually care-free or anything anyway.

"Come on. There's something you aren't telling me," Chouji persisted.

Ino shook her head harder. "No, Chouji! Everything's fine! I'm just thinking! Now leave me be!" Ino snapped, rubbing her temple gently.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and did the 'crazy' sign which caused Chouji to laugh; Ino glared at he Chuunin before continuing on to eat her salad.

After Team 10 finished up their lunch, Ino was heading out to the field to think when Chouji caught up with her. He followed silently behind her, like a shadow, for several minutes before she finally came to a halt.

"Chouji," she growled through gritted teeth; the blonde didn't even bother to turn around as she spoke to her chubby teammate. "What _are_ you doing?"

Chouji popped a potato chip into his mouth as he stepped up beside her before shrugging.

"Well then could you please _stop_?"

Chouji shook his head absently as he tried to get the crumbs from the bottom of the aluminum bag. Ino blew her hair from her face but made no comment. Instead she continued walking and Chouji continued stalking behind her.

Quite a while passed by like this; Ino silently stewed to herself as she attempted to think of some way to find a guy she could be happy with, a guy who would like her back.

"I guess I'm just concerned about you," Chouji said thoughtfully, licking the salt from his fingers as he polished off a bag of chips.

Ino stopped again and gave the boy an incredulous look. "Well that was a little random." She couldn't help but giggle. Chouji gave a strained smile in return.

"Well, if I tell you what's up will you leave me alone?"

The Akimichi boy instantaneously nodded his head.

"Good. I'll tell you in a minute. Just follow me--like you were already doing."

Chouji grinned at that and jogged after his fast-moving teammate.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

"So...Sakura dared you to find a guy you're happy with?"

"Hai."

"And you only have a week left?"

"Hai."

"And if you don't succeed...what happens?"

"I have to go of my diet for two weeks," Ino replied, horrified and repulsed by the very idea.

"Boy, Sakura likes two week periods of time, doesn't she," Chouji chuckled; he put his hands behind his head and lay back in the grass, allowing his eyelids to close over his eyes.

"Chouji!" Ino shrieked. "This _isn't_ a laughing matter! Do you know how fa---er, I mean overwe--I mean! Argh, do you know how much weight I could gain?!"

Chouji shrugged. "I like big girls," he replied tiredly. "They just seem nicer."

Ino smirked. "Well I guess you would, wouldn't you? Girls don't like bug guys though, generally. And **most** guys like _their_ girls thin."

Chouji frowned. "I don't," he said again.

"Well you aren't exactly like most other guys anyway."

Usually such a statement would be a compliment, but it wasnt meant as one when Ino said it; Chouji's frown deepened, but he kept his mouth closed on the subject.

"So has your dare been successful?" he asked after quite a while.

Ino shook her head disappointedly. "I'm not sure what to do! I only have a week left and...ugh, I **so** don't want to go off my diet!"

Chouji hesitated before replying, "You could try with your friends."

Ino cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"See if any of your guy friends would be interested."

Ino shrugged, not really approving of the idea. "I guess I could _try_," she humored the boy, "but I was thinking about maybe making a flier."

Chouji shrugged. "You're the one who's so worried about completing the dare. Now I gotta go meet up with my dad. Sayonara, _Ino_!"

And with that the Akimichi walked off; Ino stared after him thoughtfully.

_He sure is nice,_ she thought with a smile, looking back on the day's events. _I want my guy to be like him. Only skinny. And **hot**._

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

Ino taped fliers all over Konoha. She walked the path she had always taken to the Academy and posted fliers every few feet. After that she walked around the perimeter of her village, posting them sparingly. After all, she only had a limited amount and she needed to save some for the inner parts of the ninja village.

"I'm _positive_ that I'll get some results with **these** babies!" Ino proudly told herself, inspecting one of the colored sheets of paper. Every flier was a different color and each had a unique design made somewhere on the sheet. In the center of each page, in her large handwriting, it read:

Blonde girl, Yamanako Ino, seeks male between the ages of 12 and 15.  
Is seeking good looking, sweet, nice, and appreciative boy.  
Interviews will be held between today, April 13 and April 19 at the Yamanako Flower Shop in the center of town.  
Will be available between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Please come if you can. If I am not there, please leave a note for Ino and leave it at the front desk. Make sure you leave your name, age, and where you can be reached.  
Thank You!

"Yes, it _will_ be a success, of that I'm sure!"

And with that said, Ino posted the last of the fliers onto a tall wooden pole and ran off to her house where she was sure boys would be lining up, waiting for her.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

"Ino--**Ino**! Could you pl--"

"Shikamaru, shut up!" Ino hissed through gritted teeth; she glanced over at the Chuunin angrily, all the while trying to keep a sweet smile on her face as she spoke to a very attractive fourteen-year-old Genin boy.

"Ino, we haven't gotten to train and days. Don't you think that this is more important than this, this--" Shikamaru hesitated before finishing up, "this _ridiculous_ thing you're doing?!"

"Quite frankly..." Ino cast a cautious look at the Genin seated in front of her; she had to be careful with her words around him. He was a very dedicated ninja, and if she said that finding a guy was more important to her than training, then he probably wouldn't like her.

"Yes, I do find it _very_ important Shikamaru, you _know_ that. It's just it will have to wait a little while longer. I am in the middle of a fascinating conversation, and I still have other people I need to talk to."

Shikamaru eyed his teammate suspiciously. "How troublesome," he grumbled, running a hand over his hair and looking up at the sky above Ino's backyard--where she held the actual _interviews_. "Chouji said **he** wasn't available either! Something he had to do..."

Ino frowned at Shikamaru's annoyance, actually feeling sorry for him for once. "Look, tomorrow for sure. Why don't you go ask Cho, okay? I'm sure she'd **love** to train with you. You know how she is..."

The backs of the Chuunin's ears reddened and he scowled, turning away. "Fine. Good luck," he grumbled, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked slowly away.

"Well! Now that that's over with!" Ino exclaimed breathily, clapping her hands together as she turned her attention back to the boy before her.

"Why didn't you go with him?" the boy interrupted, deeply troubled.

"What? Oh, Shikamaru always wants to train, and frankly, I'm finding this conversation too interesting to finish up!"

"We're talking about food..." the boy bluntly pointed out.

Ino's bright smile wavered. "Well," she began carefully, "I am very serious about food. I mean, it is a very important matter to talk about when you're looking for a relationship, don't you agree?"

The boy shook his head slowly. "No, not really. However, I do find dedication to your practice _very_ important in a girl. This Cho girl you were talking about...by what you said I gathered that she likes training?"

"Well, more than that she likes Shikamaru," Ino grumbled, thoroughly displeased with the turn the conversation had taken.

"Oh. Well, she _does_ like training though, doesn't she?"

"Hai."

The Genin boy nodded approvingly. "That's nice. I'm going to have to find her..." he said; it was like he had completely forgotten about Ino and was already planning out his marriage to Cho.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ino! I wish you good luck in this endeavor!" He thrust his hand out for Ino to shake, but the blonde refused. Taken aback, the boy allowed his hand to drop and frowned.

"Alrighty then! Sayonara, Ino-san!"

"Yeah, yeah! Bye, Yuki!"

Ino watched sourly as the boy eagerly jogged away, hoping to find Cho. Ino scowled.

_Why does **everyone** like her?!_ she angrily pondered as she headed back into the shop to receive the next boy. _What's so great about **her**?! Every time Cho was accidentally mentioned...the guy seemed to love her!_

Ino felt like bawling as she led a short guy back to her yard and sat him down.

_Will I **ever** find the guy for me?_

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

"Okay--next!" Ino droned out as she reentered the e flower shop from the back door. She was surprised to see Chouji take a step forward and switch nervously from foot-to-foot as he popped cookies into his mouth.

"Ch-Chouji?" the blonde girl sputtered.

"Konichiwa, Ino!" Chouji greeted through his mouth full of snacks.

"What are you _doing_ here?! You didn't come for an interview, did you?!"

Slightly hurt by Ino's disbelief that he'd actually do that, Chouji shook his head. "N-no! Of course not! I was just coming to see how you were doing!" the chubby boy stuttered, smiling broadly.

Ino's relief was evident. "Okay, good. Well, why don't you come back with me anyway? I could use a break from all these rejections!"

"Wow, no one's suitable for you, eh?" Chouji, who had trouble seeing why _any_ guy would turn Ino down, remarked; Ino smiled at the sincerity of her friend's tone.

"Yeah. Sure. Let's go with that," she uneasily replied; awkwardly, she put her arm around his shoulders and brought him to the backyard.

"So what have you been up to today?" she asked, unconsciously smiling as she took a seat on her chair and held her chin in her hands.

"Well, nothing really. Shikamaru asked me to come train, but I said I was busy."

"Yeah, he mentioned that. What did you have to do?"

"Nothing," Chouji grinned.

Ino laughed and playfully hit the boy's upper arm. "Chouji!" she shrieked. "I can't believe you'd do that to your best friend!"

"Eh, I'm just tired of training," he replied "Shikamaru's been pushing us too hard!"

"I whole-heartedly agree! And personally, I think he should be out doing what I'm doing!"

"Oh, he doesnt need to! He's already got himself a girl!"

"Well I had a guy, too, but he didn't like me back," Ino grumbled, her happiness fading slightly at the memory of her shoot-down by Sasuke.

"Oh Shikamaru won't have that trouble! Cho's liked him from the start, pretty much! Sure they've had their rough moments--"

"--like the tie they got into that humongous fight and wouldn't talk to each other?"

"Exactly!" Chouji smiled and offered Ino a cookie, but she silently declined. "But yeah, they'll end up together. Me, on the other hand. I don't think the girl I like will ever like me back."

"Don't tell me--you like Cho, too?" Ino grunted.

Chouji shook his head. "No! No...Sure she's nice, pretty, and a good friend of mine, but no...I could never like her _that_ much! I mean I had a crush on her for a short period of time, but she never knew and...er..." Chouji blushed as he continued fumbling with his words. "No, I don't like Cho. It's someone else. You know her, too," he finally finished.

"Oh great! Tell me, who is it?"

Chouji immediately shook his head. "**No**!" he firmly said.

"But I could help set you up!" Ino sang.

Chouji shook his head. "I doubt you could."

"Come on, Chouji! Just tell me!" the blonde pleaded.

**No**."

"Fine! Give me hints then! Does she like to eat?"

"No."

"Is she shy?"

Chouji laughed. "No."

"Okay...is she..._loud_?"

"Definitely."

"Is she a ninja?"

"Yes, and a good one, I think."

"Well that crosses Sakura off the list," Ino joked; both of the two laughed together. "Okay! Um, is she pretty?"

Chouji smiled lightly. "She is."

"What color eyes does she have?"

"Blue."

"And her hair?"

"I can't say."

"Oh, why not!"

"It would give it away!"

"Isnt that the whole point of this?"

"Maybe for you, but not me!" Chouji went to grab a bag of snacks from his tote bag but stopped; he didn't need to eat right then. He was having a good enough time talking to Ino.

"_Fine!_" Ino grunted i mock-anger and turned away, arms crossed over her chest. "Well then, if you aren't going to tell me, you have to leave!"

"I have to get going anyway..." Chouji said and got to his feet.

"Aww! That stinks!" Ino sincerely pouted; she got to her feet as well and walked back to the flower shop with her friend to retrieve the next guy.

She couldn't stop smiling as she spoke with the guy, although she wasnt aware of it. It wasnt because the guy was a joy to talk to. In fact, he was actually a bore. But the conversation with Chouji had lifted her spirits, and she had been completely happy with him.

Too bad she didn't know it.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

After the first few days that Ino was available for interviews, no one showed up anymore. Ino stopped hoping for them to and instead began to think of other ways.

Only three days left, and she was getting _nowhere_. Maybe Chouji was right, maybe no one **was** good enough for her standards. Or maybe...maybe she already knew who it was she liked and no one else would do.

_How will I **ever** get a guy then? Sasuke already shot me down..._

Then an impossible thought came to mind. Maybe it _wasn't_ Sasuke that she liked! Maybe it was someone else!

Ino shuddered at the thought; who could it be? Naruto? No. Shikamaru? _No_. Kiba? No. Shino? No way! The guy crept her out! Neji? Good looking, but no. Lee? No. Chouji?

Ino stopped walking for a moment before shaking her head. No. Chouji was just a friend. That was all he'd ever be, of that she was sure.

"Then who? Who else do I **_know_**?"

An idea struck Ino suddenly as she lifted her foot to step forward again. Maybe she was going to meet him soon. Maybe she was destined to be with a guy she didn't even know yet.

"But how will I know when I meet him? How long until it happens?"

As much as she wanted to believe that it would be soon, she couldn't convince herself that it would be. Lately, things hadn't been working out to her advantage at all. It would be going completely out of the routine for something to suddenly go _right_ where the dare was involved.

"I want to find my guy," Ino whispered to herself, turning around a corner and narrowly avoiding colliding into an elderly citizen. "Even if it goes passed the deadline."

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

Two days. Or rather, one and a half. It was midday and Ino was lazing about at the Academy school yard, hiding herself in the protection of a tree; the canopy of leaves above provided shelter from the sun which made it easier for her to drift off into a heavy sleep.

The past week and five days had been exhausting for her, she just realized. She hadn't slept much during them, and now that she got time to just relax the realization of how taxing the dare was on her was great.

"I give up," she grumbled to herself as she settled into a heavy half-sleep.

It wasn't true though. Ino wasn't a quitter. She would fight until she died if she deemed it necessary.

Ino leaned her head against her shoulder and willed herself to fall the rest of the way into sleep; just as she was about there, however, someone knocked on the tree and said, "Why are sleeping there, lady?"

Ino's eyelids fluttered open; she stared down at the little girl who had asked the question. She was a sweet looking little girl, not a day older than seven, surely.

She tugged at one of her low pig-tails uneasily as she waiting for Ino to respond; slowly, a smile broke out on Ino's face.

"I don't know, really. Just thought I'd get away from my house. So, are you a student here?"

The little girl nodded hesitantly.

"Are...are _you_ a ninja, lady?"

Ino nodded. "Only a Genin though."

The girl broke into a grin. "I wanna be a Genin, too!" she exclaimed. " boys in my class say I won't be able to be one, though."

Ino frowned. "Why do they say that?"

This girl was reminding her more and more of the child Sakura. Her uneasy way of holding herself, her sweet and shy disposition, the way she allowed other people's opinions to get her down. The girl had Sakura practically stamped on her forehead.

"Because they think Im too weak, too shy, and too frail."

Ino smiled sympathetically and jumped down from the tree branch. The little girl stared, awestruck, at the older of the two. Ino's smile widened and she knelt down before the little girl.

"I think you're going to be a good ninja. Do you know how I can tell?"

"How?"

"I know someone who was just like you when she was your age, and she grew up to be very smart, strong, and a good ninja."

"Really?!

"True as I am a blonde."

The girl giggled. "I like you! You're nice!"

"Aw, thanks!"

_If only everyone agreed._

"What's your name?" the girl asked shyly.

"Yamanako Ino. What's yours?"

"Subaru Rini."

"I like that name; it's cute."

The girl giggled again.

Ino smiled at her again and opened her mouth to say something more when someone stepped towards them.

"Konichiwa, Ino!" the boy greeted and smiled brightly at the blonde.

"Oh, Chouji! How long...How long have you been there?"

Chouji shrugged. "A couple minutes. I was collecting my chips from the ground. They fell out."

"Oh."

Chouji nodded slowly in the silence before cocking an eyebrow. "Who's this?" he inquired, referring to the little girl.

"This is Rini!" Ino exclaimed. "She wants to be a kunoichi!"

"Just like Ino-san!" Rini chirped.

Chouji laughed, bending slightly so he could look the little girl in the eye. "Ino's a great role model," he said, brown eyes flickering toward the blonde slightly. "She's a wonderful kunoichi. Strong, independent, slightly **bossy**, but she--"

"Chouji!" Ino, shocked, shrieked; Rini tried to stifle her giggle with her fist, not wanting to seem disrespectful towards the blonde, but couldn't.

"What? Im only being honest," Chouji teased.

Ino's jaw dropped even further; Rini's giggling continued as she looked back and forth between the two older Konoha citizens.

Chouji smiled broadly at his teammate before straightening; he said no more on the subject, however, and instead reached for a bag of snacks from a canvas tote he carried with him.

"Cookie?" he offered to the little girl; Rini nodded enthusiastically and shyly held out a hand. Chouji ripped open the bag and put five medium sized cookies into the small hand of the little girl.

"_Arigato_ Chouji-san!"

Chouji grinned, bent down, and ruffled the girl's hair. "You're welcome. Now I better get going. Sayonara, Ino, Rini-_chan_!"

Rini, a cookie stuffed in her mouth while the others were carefully placed in a large pocket, enthusiastically waved after the boy; Ino gave a short wave herself before turning back to the little girl.

"What were we talking about again?" she asked with a laugh; Rini shrugged.

"But I do have a question."

"Hai?"

"Was..._is_ that boy your..." the purple-haired girl hesitated, digging her toe into the ground shyly. "Your **boyfriend**?"

Ino's blue eyes shot wide open and any trace of exhaustion was wiped from her face. "B-b-boy-_boyfriend_?" she coughed, appalled by the very thought. "Goodness _no_!"

Rini frowned giving her face that looked quite unnatural there. "Why not? He seems really nice."

Ino sighed heavily. "Well, he is nice, Rini. It's just...people don't like other people just because they're _nice_, you know?"

Rini shook her head, her low pigtails whipping harshly at her cheeks as she did so. "Not really. I like a guy in my class just because he's nice to me."

Ino shook her head. "You must be attracted to him for a reason other than that. There's just something about people that makes other people like them. It's like a...chemistry."

"Chemistry?"

"Yeah. It's like...um, an unspoken bond. A..._connection_, yeah that's it, between the two people."

"Oh." Rini paused thoughtfully. "Then you and Chouji-san had chemimistry."

"Chemistry?"

"Yeah, that."

Ino gave the girl a curious look, too shocked to speak. Could that **possibly** be true? Ino honestly had trouble believing it, yet it still unnerved her.

**Chouji?**

Ino forced a smile onto her face and took a seat on the lush grass of the Academy yard. "So! What about this guy that you like?"

"He's one of the only people who are nice to me," she began. It was surprising how comfortable the shy girl already felt with Ino, a girl she just met. But there they were, talking about a boy of just seven or eight years old whom Rini had a crush on.

Ino remembered her first real crush and remembered how it ended in her heart breaking. And the same thing happened with her second crush which lasted years and years.

Apparently the guy found her annoying.

_Sasuke_ Ino thought sadly, hugging her knees to her chest. The blonde looked over at the little girl who was talking quickly, often slurring her words, and smiled sadly to herself.

She hoped--_really_ hoped--that the same thing wouldn't happen to her.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

One day was left before the deadline date. Or was it the actual two-week deadline? Ino wasnt sure anymore. After talking to Rini she had lost all track of time it seemed.

The little girl and Ino had talked for hours, and Ino eventually walked her back to her house. It was then that they made arrangements for Ino to come back and get Rini for them to 'train together' at some point soon.

Rini was a sweet little girl, and Ino liked her a whole lot. But her words had effected her greatly, and for that Ino **had** to hold a grudge.

_Chemistry...between...Chouji and me..._ Ino no longer found the thought repulsing, merely curious.

Chouji; he was very nice. And lately, Ino found herself enjoying her time with him more and more. She never thought anything of it, really. Actually, she didn't even seem to notice how happy and cheerful she felt around him until her conversation with the seven-year-old.

Ino paused for a substantial amount of time in the middle of the side path; she appeared to be deep in thought and yet her mind was a completely blank canvas.

Eventually she began walking aimlessly down the side road, shuffling her sandaled feet on the dirt so that clouds formed around her; she coughed slightly but made no effort to stop shuffling her feet.

It seemed that all around her there were couples swarming. Holding hands, kissing, arms hooked, and arms draped over shoulders. It all made Ino sad. She only had a little time left before the deadline.

"A day, right?" she asked herself aloud as she continued along the tree-lined path.

"Baka! How troublesome!" a familiar voice screamed; Ino, startled, looked to the side to see a vestless Shikamaru chasing a blonde wearing the same green Chuunin vest that Shikamaru was missing.

"Give it back, stupid woman!"

The girl, in return, stuck out her tongue and continued running, her pounding feet making dust clouds of their own on the dirt path.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the running Cho, caught sight of Ino, and gave a short wave.

"Stole your vest?"

"Yup."

Ino chuckled to herself at this; Cho sure was amusing, Ino had to admit, but Ino still held a grudge against her for stealing the heart of all the boys who hears about her during Ino's interviews.

"Well, you better get it back."

The Nara boy scowled. "How troublesome," he grumbled and ran off after the other blonde.

"They sure are cute," said a voice from behind, saying exactly what Ino was thinking.

The Yamanako gave a start and whirled around, nearly whopping her friend in the face with her hand.

"Oh! Chouji!" Ino nervously greeted. "Yeah, they are cute together. But I really have no time to talk now. I gotta get going."

"Okay," Chouji said with a smile and a shrug. Ino nodded slowly before running off down the path the same way she had come.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

Shikamaru hadn't been begging lately for them to train, Ino noticed. Probably because he was so preoccupied hanging out with Cho, but still. Ino found it a little disconcerting.

She had also been seeing a whole lot of Chouji, something that didn't happen even when they were training together.

She hadn't seen Sakura since the day the dare was given, though Ino was sure the pink-haired girl was keeping close tabs on her _somehow_.

And Ino didn't feel like hanging out with any of them, to be quite honest. However, she didn't want to be alone either.

But what choice did she have? Hanging out with Naruto was out of the question. She had no interest in hanging all over Sasuke, either.

The only other people she knew and even remotely liked were Kiba, Shino, Cho--who was probably with Shikamaru--Hinata, Neji, Lee, and Tenten.

Ino sighed; she didn't feel like hanging out with them either. Of course she could always go help Rini with training. But oh, she really didn't want to.

She considered her options again before deciding on Hinata. She was a nice girl and, well, Ino didn't know her well, but it was worth a shot.

Ino forced herself off of her bed and slowly made her way down the stairs and out the front door, silent the whole way.

She carelessly walked down the main streets of Konoha, stopping only when the streets got too congested and then when she arrived at the Hyuuga, main family, house.

Cautiously she approached the closed gate. She rapped her knuckles on the wood.

_"Hello?_

The voice startled Ino, but she kept her cool.

"Hello! I'm Yamanako Ino! I'm looking for Hyuuga Hinata?" Ino, all the while looking for the speaker the voice came from, said.

_"What business do you have with Hinata-san?"_

"Oh! No business! I was a classmate at the Academy with her and now we're Genins together. I was just looking to...erm...hang out!"

_"Okay. Please hold while I get her."_

"Arigato!"

_Whoa. That was weird. Who knew Hinata was so..._ Ino couldn't even think of a word to finish the thought.

_"Okay. Please come in Miss Yamanako. Hinata is in the Main Hall, training."_

"Erm...thanks again!" Ino called to the hidden speaker as the gates creaked open. She hesitantly stepped inside and walked to the courtyard.

Eventually Hinata appeared, brushing her short, dark hair from her pale eyes.

"Konichiwa, Ino-san," she whispered, wiping sweat from her forehead with a towel. "What brings you here?"

Ino smiled brightly. "I just thought we could...hang out?"

"Oh! Um...sure?" Hinata awkwardly replied; she wasnt sure what was bringing on this sudden act of friendliness from her former classmate. The two had rarely spoken before.

"I'm so sorry for sounding rude, but why?"

Ino furrowed her brown at the pale-eyed girl. Why was it really that she wanted to hang out with Hinata?

Well, first and foremost she was trying to avoid hanging out with Shikamaru, Chouji, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke. But of course, she also felt some sort of duty to hang out with her fellow kunoichi. And she really did, suddenly, feel the urge to get to know her better.

Ino hesitated further before replying slowly, "It's tough to explain, really. I'm sorry."

"No. I-it's okay," Hinata sputtered. She somehow managed a full smile at the blonde. "So...erm...what should we do?"

"Let's go get to know each other better."

As Hinata and Ino unsurely walked off together, Ino struggled with a thought circling around her head.

Why had Sakura really given her the dare? Was it so Sakura could see Ino all torn apart? Was it because Sakura actually wanted to see Ino get a guy? Or was it something deeper? Like wanting Ino to change her ways. If it was the latter, it was definitely working.

Ino felt like a slightly different person as she walked along with the Hyuuga girl.

She wasnt sure why. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with the dare at all.

In fact, it didn't really have anything to do with the dare--though Ino didn't know it. It was more that she had calmed down--only slightly--since she found someone she could be happy with. She was a little less obnoxious, a little less loud, a little less narrow-minded, and a little less self-centered. It was all because of her special person.

If only she knew who it was.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

It rained the next day. Ino sat out in the field and picked at the petals of wet flowers. She threw them over her shoulder absently as she muttered nonsense to herself.

She had succeeded in getting to know Hinata better, but what about the dare? It was the day of the deadline! How was she supposed to find someone then?

Ino pushed herself to her feet and walked at snail-speed through the pounding rain. The mud from the dirt roads stuck to the bottom of her shoes and her wet clothes clung to her body; these things made both breathing _and_ walking very laborious for Ino.

Soon enough the rain became so thick that Ino's vision was obscured. Of course, she hadnt any clue where she was headed anyway, so it didn't matter that she couldn't see whether or not she was headed for a building.

"This rain is gonna mess up my hair," she muttered while crossing and uncrossing her arms over her chest.

Ino hadn't any clue how long it was that she walked aimlessly around Konoha; she could head home, but something was stopping her. So, instead, once tiring of the aimless walking, she headed for the Academy. As usual, the lone swing was empty.

Ino took a seat and began pumping her legs. Slowly she began going higher and higher. The feeling of flight elated Ino. She didn't even seem to mind the cold as she created a wind to pass over and over again over her wet self.

_Crunch. Crunch_

The sound was soon followed by the wrinkling of aluminum. Ino's pleasure quickly sunk; her legs stopped moving and the swing gradually stopped moving.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here, Ino," the boy commented through swallows.

"Hm."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"...Just hanging out," Ino replied lowly, averting her eyes.

Chouji took another couple of steps forward, eyebrows tightly knit together. "Don't you want to go inside? Away from the rain?"

"Don't _you_?" Ino nastily retorted. She hadn't intended to sound so reproachful.

Chouji didn't seem effected though. To the contrary, he smiled at his teammate and took a seat on the soaked ground, beside the swing and under the protection of the trees.

Ino looked down at him and smiled. She wasn't sure what the feeling in the pit of her stomach was and the whole of her heart. She wanted Chouji to be near, and yet she didn't want to see him.

She shot to her feet, bent down, grabbed the chubby boy's wrist, brought him to his feet, and began dragging him after her.

"Where are we going?" he called over the roaring of thunder.

"I don't know!" Ino laughed.

Chouji jogged to the girl's side, pried himself from her grip, took of his barely-wet green over-shirt and draped it over her shoulders.

Ino was moved by the thoughtfulness of this and impulsively pulled the boy under the protection of one of many trees and pressed her mouth against his.

Butterflies crashed against the walls of Ino's stomach even after she pulled back.

Chouji was absolutely shocked by this act. He blinked at her continuously, causing the blonde to giggle.

"Wh-what was that for?" Chouji stuttered.

Ino smiled. "That was for you being there--for being you."

"Nani?"

Ino leaned in and kissed Chouji full on the mouth again. She pulled back, smiling and tucking her dripping hair behind her ear.

"This doesnt seem to help my butterflies," she commented quietly, leaning against the boy's chest. She could feel and hear Chouji's increased heartbeat and she smiled to herself.

"You're comfy," she noted with a yawn.

"Huh."

Ino stayed silent for a moment before looking up at her teammate.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, a frown appearing between her eyebrows and on her mouth. "You don't like me. You like someone else." Slowly, Ino pried herself away from her friend and teammate; she felt her heart shattering into a million pieces. She had completely forgotten about the girl he liked.

Chouji laughed bitterly. "Ino, you **baka**. It was you I was talking about. It's always been you..."

Ino's blue eyes moistened and she lunged at Chouji, embracing him tightly around the middle and burying her face into his shirt.. Chouji hesitantly hugged her back, pulling him close to her to warm her shivering self.

And it felt right.

-- ♥♠♦♣♥ --

The next day Ino woke up with a wet rag on her head. Her face was boiling hot yet somehow the rest of her was shivering uncontrollably.

She managed to ignore all of this and sat up. As soon as she moved, though, she wished she hadn't. It felt like a load of bricks had been dropped on her head.

"Ugh!" she grunted, falling back down on the pillow. This didn't help any, either, but it was better than sitting up.

"Good morning!" a familiar voice sang, kicking the door open. A woman greatly resembling Ino, but bigger, walked slowly into the room as she balanced a tray in her hands.

"It's about time you woke up. You've had a visitor waiting for you for _two hours_!"

The events of the day before came rushing back to her and Ino felt her face flush even more than it had already been. Was C Chouji coming to visit her after it all? Ino wondered what he'd say.

"Should I call her up?" Mrs. Yamanako asked after placing Ino's breakfast on a table.

Her? Ino's heart sank.

"Yeah, sure," Ino grumbled, wriggling beneath her covers to bury herself further.

"SAKURA!" Ino's mother bellowed, her voice louder than usual. "Ino's awake! You can come on up!"

Not a moment later the pink haired girl was standing beside Ino's bed and Mrs. Yamanako disappeared back downstairs.

"I had your Mom make you an extra fattening breakfast," Sakura said with a mischievous grin.

"Why?"

"Because you failed the dare!"

Ino gave her friend an odd look. "No I didn't. Yesterday I found my guy."

"Pfft!"

Ino was hurt that her friend doubted her. "I did!" she insisted.

"Yeah, well even if that's true, it doesn't matter. The date the dare was to be completed by was _two_ days ago."

"What?! No it wasn't..."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah it was."

From out of nowhere, the Haruna girl pulled out a calendar and pointed to a block which had written in it 'INO'S DARE ENDS!'. Afterwards she pointed to a block to spots away.

"**This** is today's date," she said.

"You know what, I don't care!" Ino declared. "I don't care if I have to go off my diet! It's worth it! You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I found my man!"

Sakura blinked, very obviously surprised. "You don't care, really?"

"Really! After all, I'll have someone _great_ to show me food."

"_Naruto?!_" Sakura guessed, disgust evident in her voice and facial expression.

Ino grimaced. "No. Chouji," she replied with a smile.

Sakura's shock wasn't as great as Ino would have expected, but she thought nothing of it. She had no time to be suspicious when she was so happy.

"Well I'm glad you found someone," Sakura said with a genuine smile.

"Arigato."

The smile on the blonde girl's face grew wider. A wistful look came over her face, and Sakura couldn't help but stare. It was obvious that Ino really _did_ like Chouji.

Sakura had trouble grasping that. Ino had always talked about how fat and annoying Chouji was. Of course Sakura always suspected that Chouji had some sort of feelings for Ino, and deep down Ino thought of him as more than a friend.

It was surprising, though, to say the very least.

"I hope one day I can have someone that likes me as much as Chouji likes you...with me liking them, too, of course."

Ino nodded. "You already do, I think. Possibly only two people."

"But I only like one person," Sakura blankly argued.

Ino's smile turned mischievous. "That's what you think. But trust me; you have at least two people waiting for you...three, actually, now that I think about it."

_Sasuke..._ Ino said to herself. It didn't hurt anymore to think about that day. In fact, it brought relief. If she had hung onto him forever, she never would have found the person for her. But Sakura could still find her guy while liking him because...he might very well be it.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you, but I have to go train with Naruto and Sasuke-kun." She grinned, seemingly shaking off what Ino said about her guys. "See you later! Hope you feel better! And oh, you'll probably do well to train with Shikamaru and Chouji while you're off your diet!"

"Will do!" Ino called after her; as the pink-haired girl exited the room, Ino heard her muttering to herself.

"Three guys? Who?"

Ino grinned to herself, knowing exactly who they were. It felt good to be the one with that sort of power again instead of Sakura having it.

Just as Ino settled back down into her bed, Sakura popped her head back into the room. "Oh yeah! Hinata hopes you get better, too. She says she had fun the other day...hey, since when do you and Hinata hang out?"

Ino shrugged, propping herself back up on her elbows. "We just started. Thank her for me, though, will you?"

Sakura gave a firm nod. "Of course. Sayonara!"

"Sayonara!"

"P.s. You have two visitors downstairs..."

And with that, the pink-haired girl disappeared again. Ino didn't bother to lie back down but instead began picking at her large breakfast.

As Ino popped another sugar-coated strawberry into her mouth, she heard footsteps back out in the hall. Blue eyes shooting upward, she caught sight of an awkward Chouji standing outside her doorway.

"Konichiwa," he mumbled, hesitantly taking a step forward.

"Chouji!" Ino squeaked; she came very close to springing out of bed, but Chouji cast her a look that prevented her from doing so.

"You shouldn't be moving too much; youre sick."

Ino frowned. "Fine. Then you come here." The blonde scooted towards the wall, allowing space for the boy to sit down on her bed; he warily moved forward and sat on the edge of the twin bed.

Ino leaned forward and hugged the chubby boy, burying her face in his neck. Chouji nervously wrapped his arms around her back; the two sat there like that for a few moments, neither moving a hair.

Eventually Ino moved her face and pecked his cheek, not wanting to get him sick by kissing his lips.

"Ha! I knew he was your boyfriend!"

Ino and Chouji separated. Out in the hall stood a young girl with purple pigtails, grinning widely at the two older Konoha citizens.

"Rini! What are you doing here?!"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. I saw Chouji this morning while taking a walk and asked where he was going. He told me you were sick and he was visiting you, so I followed." She shrugged. "I have to go now, though." She frowned.

"Okay. We'll see you soon!" Ino called after her; the little girl grinned, gave a firm nod, and went off. As soon as she was gone, Chouji cats Ino an odd look.

"She thought I was your boyfriend?"

Ino nodded. "Well, yeah...look, it was a long conversation. Let's not talk about that right now."

Chouji grinned, easily agreeing.

The two remained silent for a while. Chouji fed Ino's breakfast to her which made the girl smile. He was so nice, so caring. She was lucky she found a guy like him.

That thought got her thinking more, though what it was she was thinking about was a mystery even to her. Hesitating, she finally opened her mouth. "Will you show me good places to eat?" she asked him; Chouji nodded emphatically.

"Of course!"

"Good." Ino smiled lightly at the boy and leaned forward. Into his ear she whispered, "I really like you."

Chouji's face reddened. "I...I really like y-you, too, Ino," he stuttered back.

"More than food?" Ino asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Chouji didn't even hesitate before replying, "Definitely."

* * *

**a/n Okay! so that was my very long choujixino oneshot. it took me more than a month to write, argh. actually I finsihed a couple days ago but it didn't save it and...argh! anyway, I hope you liked. please message me to tell me if anyone was out of character in any part of it and all that... **

there might have been a few spoilers for BP, but that's okay. nothing too major, I don't think. well, except for one thing. yeah...anyway! I can't think of anything else to say! reviews are appreciated, but it doesn't matter.


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